He doesn't care — Portugal boss claims Cristiano Ronaldo not obsessed with 1000 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of football's greatest ever talents, and a player who consistently chases perfection.

In recent months, the Al-Nassr forward has moved closer to the 1,000-goal mark, a tally that would see him become the first player to reach that number in official games.

Roberto Martínez, who has coached Ronaldo at Portugal since 2023, was recently a guest on The Overlap podcast alongside Gary Neville

The Portugal boss revealed that the 41-year-old superstar is no longer obsessed with hitting the historic milestone, instead prioritising team success ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

"He's changed," Martínez said.

"They speak about the 1000 goals. He's not bothered about 1,000 goals. And he feels what's the difference for me scoring 1050 or 950? I'm the same player."

The coach described Ronaldo's mentality as exemplary, emphasising that he "doesn't care about reaching 1000 goals, but focuses on leaving a great legacy."

This marks a clear evolution from Ronaldo's past comments, where he often voiced determination to achieve the feat before retiring.

Meanwhile, the 41-year-old continues to perform week in, week out. He scored his latest goal, a penalty in a dominant 5-0 win over Al-Najma, pushing his official career total to 965 (club and international combined).

With just 35 more needed, the record remains tantalizingly close, yet Martínez insists Ronaldo's priorities have matured toward collective triumphs, particularly as Portugal eye success in the upcoming 2026 World Cup, where Ronaldo will appear in his sixth finals.